How to Conquer Mental Maladies

Coping with Anxiety (Part 1 of Maladies Series)

A
normal reaction to stress is to take action & cope or run away.However, if excessive fear, worry or
nervousness creates anxiety, these daily reactions can be can be
distorted.Danger can be perceived in a
simple outing to the grocery store, immobilizing a person.How can you tell if your reactions are
normal or excessive?Aaron T. Beck,
Gary Emery and Ruth L. Greenberg share the following in their book Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive
Perspective(New York: Basic Books, 1985):

Anxiety is generally considered a
normal reaction if it is roused by a realistic danger and if it dissipates when
the danger is no longer present.If the
degree of anxiety is greatly disproportionate to the risk and severity of
possible danger, and if it continues even though no objective danger exists,
then the reaction is considered abnormal.

Symptoms

If
you have at least 4 of the following physical symptoms more than once in a
four-week period, you may be suffering anxiety attacks:

Numbness in the hands
& feet

Racing heartbeat or
palpitations

Trembling hands

Hot flashes or chills

Choking

Upset stomach

Profuse sweating

Strong fears about
dying

Lose control or fear of
going crazy

Chest pain

Feelings of unreality
or being detached

The
fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s “Diagnostic &
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder” (also known as the DSM-IV) lists these
major types of anxiety disorders with the following symptoms for each:

Panic
Disorder – Recurrent,
unexpected panic attacks (intense fear or discomfort that suddenly begins as if
out of nowhere).

Acute
Stress Disorder – Similar to Posttraumatic Stress, but this is not as long term in
effect (for instance feeling extreme guilt for surviving after a loved one has
died).

Obsessive-Compulsive
Disorder –
Persistent thoughts or repetitive behaviors that you feel absolutely MUST be
performed (for instance washing your hand 25 times every day).

Generalized
Anxiety Disorder –Excessive worry on several
events or activities that lasts at least 6 months (like obsessing over what to
make for meals and how to keep the house immaculate while working 90 hours per
week).

Anxiety
Disorder resulting from another condition -Having excessive anxiety because of another type of medical illness (
for example being over anxious because you’re trying to heal from long term
depression).

Substance-induced
Anxiety Disorder -Directly related to your
being exposed to a substance (like having an anxiety reaction to a new
medication your doctor prescribed).

More
than 19 million people suffer from an anxiety disorder every year.According to the National Institute of
Mental Health and other researchers, these disorders are among the most common
mental health problems.Physical
problems also arise in conjunction with these anxiety illnesses as well;
including cardiovascular disease and suicide.

Coping

Several
methods are available to treat anxiety disorders.Let’s take a closer look at some.

TFT

One method of coping with anxiety is using Thought Field Therapy (TFT) discovered in 1981 by a cognitive psychologist Dr. Roger
Callahan.He discovered that by treating
the blockage in the energy flow created by disturbing thought patterns, the
disturbance disappears. TFT eliminates negative feelings previously associated
with a thought.

How does it work?Dr. Callahan or your own therapist asks you
to think about a situation or event and rate how uncomfortable you feel at the
moment on a scale from one to ten; ten is the worst you can feel and one is
fine.

Then, at the direction of the
therapist, you tap with two fingers on various acupressure points on your body.
During this process, you share how you feel. The tapping is done
according to a prescribed pattern or algorithm, based on the particular
emotions being worked on in therapy.

After the series of tapping, usually
lasting only five to six minutes, the treatment is complete and the distress is
gone.There is an 80% success rate
(90-95% with trained therapists) and NO side effects.

Self-Helps

Turn your negative thoughts into
positive ones.Try journaling during
times of stress, and pinpoint your fears.Then list each fear and delve into the “why’s” and find out what the
basis for this fear is.Are you affair
to leave your house because your car may break down and strand you?Can you take a bus?Can you walk or ask a friend for traveling
help?Then jot down some ways to change
your current fearful ideas – slowly.Remember you have to walk before you can run!Maybe concentrate on opening your front door on day 1.Tomorrow put one foot outside.Day 3, maybe both feet can be out.But day 4, perhaps enjoying your progress
with an ice cream cone is in order, before trying to make it to the
mailbox!Make it an adventure and don’t
push yourself.Be your best
friend.

And while you’re journaling, add
some affirmations to boost your self-esteem and confidence.Write your positives: I am smart.I can do this.I am a good person.Keep
going…

How about checking out the library
for aids?There are some great books
out there with inspirational ways others have coped with their anxiety.Here are a few I like:

Some physicians, psychotherapists and psychologists recommend medication;
such as Valium, Xanax, Prozac, Paxil, Klonopin, & Imipramine for their
patients suffering anxiety disorders.Sometimes different medications need to be tried and dosages re-adjusted
to meet individual needs.However in
addition to chemical or emotional dependency on these drugs, there are “side
effects.”Anxiety can be replaced by
nerve numbness,sluggishness, desire to
sleep more, loss of sexual feeling and more.You may have to decide which you’d rather have: anxiety attacks to cope
with or side effects to deal with.

Others recommend herbal treatments.Some use Kava Kava, Valerian Root, Gingko and St. John’s Wort in various
doses.A good book I recommend for
finding out more about herbs is called, “Handbook for Herbal Healing,” by
Christopher Hobbs, Interweave Press, Inc, 1990.If you’re already taking medication, check with your physician
first before trying any herbs.Some
herbs and medicines don’t mix!

Relaxation and physical exercises are also helpful.Practice slowing down your breathing.Take wonderful, deep cleansing breaths, then
exhale.Start all over and take it
easy.Later make sure you get enough
physical exercise as well.Take a walk
or work out in the living room with a video or television program.Of course, make sure your doctor ok’s this
first.And do take care to maintain a
healthy menu of foods.

When to Seek Professionals

If there’s even the slightest thought of suicide, seek help now!If your anxiety has taken over your life
for too long and you want help, go get help.It’s ok to want help and seek it.Trained professionals can often guide us to healthier paths in short
term or long term therapy.Perhaps one
appointment is all you’ll need to get a new program under way.Maybe 4-6 weeks with a support group would
help.

If you’ve been noticing that you can’t seem to cope on your own, get
help.Maybe journaling has worked for a
few years, but lately it’s lost its power.Make an appointment and ask a professional.New books, tapes, treatments, medications, herbs, and online
Websites pop up daily offering a variety of aids for anxiety disorders.

Diana Barnum, founder of http://OhioHelp.net
, writes regularly for Tendu Magazine at http://tendumagazine.com
. Visit Tendu now and sign up for their
NEW (no cost) 3-day series, “3 Lessons on Living a Healthier and Happier
Life.” Stay tuned for the rest of the Mental Maladies Series.